“One of the pearls of Spanish football” - Liverpool close to signing Muñoz

Liverpool are close to signing winger Victor Muñoz from Osasuna after activating his €40m (£34.6m) release clause. Muños, 22, is part of Spain's World Cup squad as Liverpool have sent staff to the US for medical examinations, it has emerged. Newcastle were also interested in Moños after selling Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, but Liverpool won the race for player.Muñoz will be Liverpool's first signing since Andoni Iraola replaced Arne Slot as head coach earlier this month. When Newcastle were approached about signing him, La Liga expert Phil Minshull told BBC Radio Newcastle: “He's an outstanding young talent. He is one of the pearls of Spanish football. A very strong right-handed attacking winger. He can play both sides. Very strong. Very physically developed. He challenges defenders. One of the questions about his technical ability is his passing, as he only had two assists all of last season. But he boldly runs past defenders, causing various problems for them, distracting players in his direction and opening up space for other attackers. He can play from either side of the field, making him a valuable asset depending on the resources of the rest of the team. In addition, he always returns back and is a strong tactile player, so he also supports the defenders. There are no questions about its performance. I think a move to Newcastle would be the next step in his development.